Miscarriage Of Justice: Golem Sentenced To Brief Prison Term

I'll be back, said John Haggerty. My lawyers will be appealing the verdict on the grounds that becoming the laughingstock is restitution for the crimes I've committed.

Infamous political operative John Haggerty, who stole 750,000 from Mayor Bloomberg and used it to buy a lavish house in Forest Hills was sentenced yesterday to 3-4 years of hard time following his conviction on second-degree grand larceny and second-degree money laundering charges.

During the trial, Haggerty’s lawyers portrayed him as an ‘honorable’ and ‘well-respected man’ who had made a severe error, according to the New York Times. Obviously they never met him, although going to trial with a lawyer who considers your whole life-style a Crime in Progress is not a happy prospect.

Get this, Judge Zweibel believed John’s prison conviction would restore faith in the political system. Meanwhile, it did not. Over 40 well-wishers – presumably all the Republicans in South Queens wrote letters on John’s behalf to the Judge vouching for his character and pleading for leniency.

So much for Justice.

New York Times: Addressing the court, Mr. Haggerty, who is divorced and has no children, admitted that the positive reputation he had cultivated throughout his long career in the inner circles of New York politics had been destroyed by his crime.

“I can only do what is right in the future,” he said.

Justice Zweibel ordered Mr. Haggerty to pay restitution of $750,000, the amount he was convicted of stealing from Mr. Bloomberg by tricking his campaign aides into donating to the state’s Independence Party in 2009. Mr. Haggerty had promised to use the money to set up an Election Day voting-security operation, but instead used the money to buy a house, prosecutors said.

Mr. Haggerty was taken from the courtroom to begin serving his sentence immediately.